Eats Wright from Home: December
by Austin Wright, Reporter and Advertising
Food and Culture
Cooking or baking from home has always been something I’ve enjoyed as a fun hobby, but for this column at least, it’s been largely shunned away in favor of going out of the house to restaurants in person.
In times when going out of the house isn’t necessarily a possibility, making my food has been more of a necessity in recent months as not just a way to prevent unnecessary trips out of the house, but also as an escape from boredom. Homemade recipes is a step away from normalcy in this column, but then again, what is “normal” in times when eating inside restaurants is discouraged due to a global pandemic?
Before now, I had never really considered writing an article about foods teens can make themselves, as dine-in experiences in restaurants are far more appealing. The little things—like making the drive there with anticipation of what my taste buds would experience inside—are what I miss and appreciate greatly during these strenuous times for us all.
I wouldn’t say that I’m feeling thankful or lucky for the pandemic in allowing me to bring this idea to life, especially when I put into perspective the devastating effects we’ve borne witness to this year. But, I will say that the pandemic has granted us new and interesting scenarios on a daily basis, so I’m hoping that sharing my hobby of cooking and baking will appeal to you all.
Both of these recipes are simple and require only basic materials and instructions. Baking is trickier than cooking and specific on the ingredients. One misread can ultimately sabotage your creation for the worse, so it’s paramount to follow the instructions carefully. Hopefully you see something that you like on here, and happy creating!
Banana bread
Makes one large loaf or four small loaves
Ingredients
¼ pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed overripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9”x5”x3” inch loaf pan or several smaller pans. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well.
Sift the dry ingredients together and combine with the butter mixture. Mash the bananas into a runny but firm pulp in a separate bowl. Measure it out into one cup, and add it with the sour cream and vanilla. Blend well, and combine it into the butter mixture. Add nuts if you want, but regardless, stir well after and pour the mixture into the pan.
Bake for one hour, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean, without any batter residue sticking to it. Pull the loaf out after an hour in the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Serve when warm.
What I love about banana bread is that it’s surprisingly easy to prepare, with a fair amount of ingredients called for in the recipe. I’ve rarely had an issue making it apart from my first attempt. (I forgot to carefully read the instructions and ended up with far too many bananas, which resulted in a mushy cluster of undercooked banana in the middle of the loaf.) Just read the instructions carefully and you’ll be fine!
Like I said above, the nuts are optional. I simply didn’t feel like adding crunch to an already chewy creation.
One of the more important pieces, not to be overlooked, are the bananas. Ideally, they should be completely brown. This guarantees a sweet result and makes the bananas easier to mash.
The mashing process itself is my favorite part because of the violent nature of shredding a banana into a mushy consistency. Who doesn’t love violence in baking?
This recipe can be tricky, as you must follow such tedious instructions. But, if done correctly, the final product will be well worth it.
Photo by Austin Wright
Scrambled eggs
Serves one
Ingredients
3 eggs
Canola oil/butter
1 pinch of salt
Crack the eggshells and drop the yolks into a small bowl. Dispose of the shells and keep as much of the egg white in the bowl as possible.
Whisk the eggs in the bowl until completely blended into a creamy consistency. Add a pinch of salt to add flavor.
Lightly grease a medium to large skillet with canola oil or butter. If using butter, collect a small slab on a knife and spread it until it’s fully melted. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet on low to medium heat. Scrape with a spatula around the edge of the skillet, pulling the cooked edges of the eggs towards the center. Repeat periodically until no liquid is remaining, and then serve hot.
One of the best foods to prepare as a beginner, scrambled eggs have always been a staple food in my life—so much so that when I make them, it reminds me why I enjoy cooking and baking. It’s a simple and forgiving recipe, as well as fun to make—whether that be watching the eggs slowly solidify into a warm golden mass or even cracking an eggshell.
Cracking an egg on the side of the bowl can result in tiny shards of the shell attaching themselves to the egg yolk itself. To prevent eggshell from entering the mixture, crack it on a flat surface or countertop and pull the opposite halves away from each other at the crack by using a thumb to separate the shells. The motion of making the initial break should resemble knocking lightly on a door, with minimal arm movement and more wrist involved.
A step just as important as getting no shell bits in the mixture is the process of whisking. Whisking can be done with a designated whisk tool, or what I typically use: a fork. Stir rapidly until you reach a solid blend of egg, while also looking for a consistent shade of yellow. This would also be the appropriate time to add a pinch of salt to enhance the overall flavor, but I would do it before the whisking process. This way, you don’t have to mix an already delicate mixture twice.
The mixture itself, once it’s all poured out into the skillet, needs to be regularly checked and pushed around with a spatula from the edge of the pan inwards. Too much poking and prodding however, can alter the consistency into a very light and airy final product.
It is up to the chef’s preferences ultimately, in how they want the eggs to turn out. By all means, serve up these lighter scrambled eggs by constantly moving the mixture around in the pan. If the desired consistency is more grounded and cooked per say, then leave the eggs on for a tiny bit longer without as much digging into the pan.
Without much supervision, the egg could go to waste and stick to the pan. Low to medium heat on a stovetop is great for eggs, because it allows for mistakes to happen, which we all make at some point. With a cranked stove, the cook will likely have a painstaking cleaning process with the skillet.
Although instructions are necessary, it is always refreshing to be able to decide how to make and personalize certain parts of a meal. Scrambled eggs are no exception here, and I had a lovely time experimenting with the recipe.
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Both the banana bread and scrambled eggs recipes are fun to make in their own rights, but it is always good to experiment with new ideas. Feel free to add in your own take on a recipe as long as it’s proportioned appropriately, and there shouldn’t be any issues.
I encourage anyone to get creative with cooking more so than baking, as baking can go totally sideways with even one mistake. I’ve absolutely had moments where I realized, “Oh no! I forgot the sugar!” If you’re interested in getting creative in the kitchen, baking is likely the wrong place to start. Cooking, as I’ve mentioned before, is much more lenient with the directions and/or ingredients.
I cannot stress enough how much fun I’ve had over the last few months preparing my own food, rather than going out to eat in a restaurant. Best of luck in the kitchen!